Zeltiq is a non surgical lipo alternative that can help you literally freeze away your fat so that you can potentially lose as much as an inch or two from a targeted area. As Dr. Oz discusses today on his show, it's really impossible to target specific areas of fat that you want removed. As much as you may tone the muscles underneath the fat, it doesn't mean that the fat will go away.
The only solution for patients looking to get rid of specific pockets of fat was surgery with liposuction. Though it worked pretty well, patients had long periods of recovery and healing could be quite a painful process. Then laser lipo procedures such as SmartLipo and then later ultrasound assisted lipo and other minimally invasive methods of liposuction became available. While these did assist with a quicker healing time than traditional lipo, they were still surgery and still required a recovery time. Patients still asked for a way to shrink targeted fat areas without surgery at all. Now, there are devices available to remove fat surgery and recovery time free.
CoolSculpting by Zeltiq is one of a newly FDA approved group of non-surgical lipo alternatives that enable patients to remove small pockets of fat from specific areas of the body. Zeltiq is unique because it uses cold to systematically freeze fat cells which crystallize and die and pass out of the system. It isn't painful at all and treatment takes an hour.
A gel pack is applied to the treatment area in order to prevent overcooling the skin and help the hand piece get a good suction on to the skin. The doctor applies the hand piece to the treatment area and suction lifts the skin into the hand piece between two cooling plates. The plates drop the temperature down to just above freezing and keeps it there for 60 minutes.
Following treatment, the patient can go about their day as normal with no restrictions. Some have a little redness that typically goes away in just a couple of hours and possibly a little soreness for a day or so. Results are not immediate and won't be seen for 2-4 months. This treatment isn't for losing large volumes of fat or for weight loss. It's still important to diet and exercise in order to better maintain the results.
